The community in the south really pulled together to give 70 people – some of whom would otherwise have been alone – a very special Christmas day.
The lunch was a joint initiative, co-ordinated by the Port Erin-based charity Southern Befrienders, with the management, chef, kitchen and waiting staff of Leonardo’s restaurant in Castletown giving their time for free.
The turkey, ham and chipolatas for the traditional three-course menu were donated by Radcliffe’s Butchers while transport was provided by Bunty’s Taxis, Port St Mary.
This is the first time the charity, which has 110 volunteers and befriends 90 residents, has organised a lunch on Christmas Day.
The charity’s new scheme manager Val Haslam said: ‘We were pleased to work in partnership with local business to offer this lunch not only to Southern Befrienders’ service users but also to the wider community, as there was no age restriction. It was open to anyone who would have been alone on Christmas Day.’
One guest, a volunteer, said: ‘It was fantastic. The reception we received from the proprietor and staff of the restaurant was overwhelming and they were all so helpful and friendly. I really enjoyed being with the other guests on the day and the lunch was delicious. We were picked up by the owner of Bunty’s Taxis in his minibus, which got the lunch off to a great start.
‘I’d like to thank Southern Befrienders and everyone involved in making the day so memorable.’
Val took up her new role on Monday. Prior to that she volunteered with the charity for four years and was at the Christmas lunch. She has considerable experience in the ‘third’ sector, having worked for a leading children’s charity in the UK prior to moving back to island six years ago.
She said a top priority is to re-establish a fundraising events team and appealed for volunteers. She said: ‘We need men and women, of any age, who can support Southern Befrienders in their fundraising effort like flag days, bag packs and other fun events throughout the year. We also need volunteers to help with social outings, supporting the team in the office and befriending our service users.’
For more information, contact the Val, Debbie or Zoe on 833025 or southernbefrienders@manx.net